24 Diner

Reviews 3

MA

Marcelo Teson

There are so few good places open 24 hours in Austin, its nice to have at least one place thats open and of quality. My wife and I went there for dinner after circumstances caused us to have to eat out late, and it was one of the few places that was open at 11pm. Which is ridiculous for a town like Austin, but thats neither here nor there. Anyway, it was filled but not cramped, and the service was crazy friendly and nice. We were seated immediately and treated awesomely. The first thing you notice on the menu is the price. Its pretty pricey on the whole. About 15-20 a person, and that might not even take alcohol into account. Thats typical in a place like LA but in Austin that might make someone balk, especially if all you want is some late night nosh. Nonetheless the food was worth the price. My Bacon Gorgonzola burger was massive, well-made, and tasty, one of the best burgers Ive had in Austin (although the gorgonzola was a bit on the heavy side). I had a side of chili fries, and the fries were also homemade and well done and the chili was fantastic, with nice cubes of brisket and chuck in a good solid red. My wife, pleasantly surprised at the vegan options available, ordered the vegan burger and enjoyed it. It was homemade, not from a package, and it looked well-crafted. It would be good if they had some other vegan options like tofu scrambles, which arent hard to add to a menu, especially when they offer homemade vegan sausage. Why not go all the way and get some scrambles up in there so vegans can have a late night breakfast? The other thing worth noting is the alcohol list. The beer list is no pricier than any random bar downtown, but the wine list is comically expensive. There are only 3-4 wines actually available by the glass per type, followed by a massive bottle-only list. And all those bottles look like theyre on the list more to show off than to actually be enjoyed (is anyone going to order the 484 dollar world class red here?). Its a disappointing and intimidating list that makes you want to not order from it. It would be FAR better to have a largely accessible wine list of well-chosen value wines, all of which are available by the glass, and whose prices are comparable to the beer prices. Snack Bar on South Congress does this exceptionally well, and the 24 diner people would be wise to follow that lead. The cocktail list was also pricey, but what I saw come out of the kitchen looked like it might be worth that price. But honestly I can get better cocktails for that price at Peche, which is supposed to be a FANCY place. Why do I need to pay for that here? There isnt even a bar! Bottom line, go for the food, avoid the drinks. The service is super friendly, and it would have been easy for them not to be, so I give them mad props for that. We really enjoyed our food, but I wish i could enjoy more drink with it.

HE

heyitsmekasey

Fabulous breakfast. I ordered just a Belgian waffle, yeasty and sour, and a side of the house made sausage. My husband had the pulled chicken sandwich with a side of fries. The waffle is very large, like 10 inches across. I was stuffed after eating only half. The brown sugar butter didnt do a ton for flavor, which was a little disappointing, and the syrup is light and very thin. That would be my ONLY little complaint on the food. The thin syrup paired with the type of container they have it in makes it way too easy to pour WAY too much syrup, which I accidentally did like 3 times! The sausage was wonderful. I wish I had a plate full of just that! My husbands fries were nice, crispy and flavorful, and he said he sandwich was fine, but the chicken was tough and chewy. The wait staff and service was perfect. Our waitress was just the right level of attentive, providing refills without provocation, checking up on us a couple of times without being clingy, and she was very helpful and informative while we were ordering, happily explaining and answering any questions we had. The hostess was lovely and had a very sweet smile. The manager came over to see how we were enjoying our meal, which I always appreciate a manager doing. He was very friendly and talked to us for a minute about the food and how they make it, where they get it from, etc. Atmosphere.....we were here on a Wednesday at 1 pm. There was not a wait for a table, but the place was PACKED. Its a small diner, and the majority of seating is just 2 booth seats that run the length of the restaurant, back to back, down the middle of the building with small tables spaced just far enough apart for a person to stand between them, but not allowing much more room than that. I could definitely see this being an uncomfortable situation for for anyone who is a larger person, just fyi. The music was perfectly curated. I loved EVERY song, and it honestly seemed that they were playing the Pandora station called "hipster brunch" (Im not kidding, thats a real Pandora station, and its perfect!) Unfortunately, it was so loud inside that I could barely hear the music. Overall 5/7. Would recommend

JE

Jeff Turpin

I come to Austin from San Antonio on a semi-regular basis just to eat, and theres so many good choices. Picking a new place is always a risk, but it paid off with 24 Diner. I love that the food is from within 200 miles, and it shows. The wifey tried the fried chicken and waffles. While the fried chicken was fairly tasty and moist (notwithstanding being boneless and skinless), the waffle stole the show. It had a sourdough quality without being sourdough (due to the yeast), and it truly had a savory, unique flavor. Using real grade A maple syrup and butter elevated the deliciousness as you would expect. As for me, I ordered a lunch/dinner entree of the fried bone-in pork chop with jalapeno cream gravy and scallion butter, roasted red potatoes and green beans. This dish really showcased fresh ingredients as the green beans were perfect and the roasted red potatoes were perfectly roasted with a moderate herb taste. Both of the veggies were light and herby, which balanced the richness of the heavy protein. The star, of course, was the pork chop. Not only was it moist but also it had a herb taste as if it had been brined for 24-48 hours in a salty herb solution. The batter was crispy, thick without being too thick, and delicious in its own right. And then you had a true cream gravy (more sauce than gravy, which is fine with me) where the richness of dairy merged with the heat of jalapeno. The scallion butter and chopped scallions atop the pork chop only added to the depth of flavor. I would say, even accounting for other pork chops Ive eaten that are simply grilled and simply seasoned, this pork chop is easily one of the top 5 Ive ever eaten. The execution of each part was done well and the layers of flavor were complex, very savory, and ultimately satisfying. In short, 24 Diner is a place I want to visit again. And again. The food is extremely fresh, and the dishes are elevated diner cuisine without any pretension. Its just great.